What I've Been Missing
by Mimi Dear
Summary: Hinata is the depressed daughter of a wealthy, nitpicking father, without any pizazz in her life. She meets Naruto, a punk misfit, and he takes her to the concert of her life. Say hello to world of music, dancing, beer and the beauty of imperfection.


What I've Been Missing 

"If you fall, don't freak out- someone will help you up, nomatter what. Everybody is friends here... you have no enemies. It's us against the world, and we're not going to revolt against each other..."

Hinata is the depressed daughter of a wealthy perfectionist father, without any pizazz or boom in her life. She meets Naruto, a punk misfit, and he introduces her to his other friends, rockers and goths. Say hello to a rough whirlwind world of sex, drugs, love, music and dancing, and the beauty of an imperfect life.

Mimi: Hiiii. I'm Mimi. Please call me by that. My second story (wrote a Temari-centric one once), so be nice and contructively critical and not a bitch, 'kay? I know most everybody doesn't read these little author's notes things, but whatever. Like it says in the summary, the sheltered daughter of a rich businessman takes a chance for the first time in her life and befriends a group of headbanging outcasts, and discovers just what being a wild teenager is about.

I really like Choji- he's big and sweet and humble and kind of shy and he doesn't really mind not being the spotlight. I think a punk Choji and Hinata would be the cutest couple EVER.

SO anyway grab a soda and some chips and a pillow and your favorite music (I dig (Can't Get My) Head Around You by The Offspring ) and enjoy.

- -

Last day of the rest of my life

I wish I woulda known cause I'd have kissed my mama goodbye

I didn't tell her that I loved her, how much I cared

Thank my pops for all the talks and wisdom he shared

I just did what I always do

Every day just the same routine before I skate off to school

But who knew that this day wasn't like the rest

'stead of taking a test I took two to the chest

"The Youth of the Nation" by P.O.D.

- -

With a sigh, Hinata started out on her walk to the public high school down the street, her eyes watching the sidewalk.

All her life, her father had said he wanted her, his oldest child, to attend a super-expensive private school, but over the years, when he saw his daughter's lack of ambition, he regretfully let her go to the public high school just a few blocks away.

At least she dressed nice... Hinata was always careful to wear clean, well-pressed skirts and shirts, and she did do well in school, getting routine A's and B's. Her hair was simple, being all one length and that length being only to her shoulders. She kept her room clean, she never wore makeup, never bothered her father for advice, and got along with pretty much everybody.

So, it wasn't like he was horribly disappointed in her or anything. She was just a disiciplined, shy, calm teenage girl who lived in a mansion.

Hinata glanced up, her school in sight. No one else besides the teachers had arrived, and as usual, she was early.

Hanabi had taken her place as future representative and successor of the Hyuuga corp., her father's multimillion dollar housing company, which, truthfully, didn't bother Hinata very much.

Her sister Hanabi was definately one of her most important people. Although envious of her beautiful, smart, and athletic sister, Hinata also respected and loved her. The two girls, like most sisters, had their moments of bonding, love, and fighting.

Since Hanabi went into high school, though, the two of them hadn't really had a chance to sit together and talk or rent a movie or anything... Hanabi and Hinata attended different schools, and the younger Hyuuga was busy with homework from all of her Honors classes.

So, gosh, it had been nearly two or three years without any girl talk. And because of her embarrassment toward her speech impediment, Hinata was horribly shy and had no other friends.

Passing softly through the opened doors of the school, she dragged her little suitcase on wheels over to her locker and put a couple books inside, then headed to first period.

Umino Iruka sat quietly behind his desk, speed-reading articles and munching on his breakfast, a Chinese takeout box in one hand and chopsticks in the other.

He was most likely the most popular teacher in the school- he was very kind, lighthearted, and obviously didn't feel the need to add pressure and threaten the teens, unlike Tsunade, the biology and physical health teacher, and Mitarashi Anko, the girls P.E. coach.

He taught the "Opinionation Class" as the seniors called it. They were supposed to study current events and present their opinions, but often, he would read an article from a newspaper and all the students would simply weigh in their opinions.

"There is no wrong or right in an opinion- remember, everyone sees things from different angles. If everyone agreed, we would have too many blind spots concerning the issues of the world." he had said on the first day, when none of the students were willing to speak up.

Hinata liked the brown-haired bachelor a lot. She really, really admired him. Though he was orphaned at a young age and shuffled from foster home to foster home and thus had difficulty keeping up in school, he worked very hard in high school and college even though he had no one but himself to rely on back then.

She loved the teacher-student relationship they had. Admittedly, yes, Hinata wasn't the sharpest pencil, and sometimes she got confused during class, but she always knew she could see Iruka after school was over and he would help her. Her father paid him to help tutor her, but every time she thanked him, he simply told her "...it is a pleasure, Hinata." and gave her a genuine smile.

"Ah! Good morning, Hinata. Punctual as always." he smiled, taking a moment to acknowledge her before returning to his reading.

She shyly smiled back, remembering the small crush she had on him in freshman year, and how it had changed to more of a big brother feeling.

Taking her seat in the second row, to the left of the classroom by the windows, where she could see the sidewalk that all the students entered the school from, she lifted the lid of her desk and brushed aside several pencil shavings. She shared a desk with a freshman student in Iruka's later class, who, apparently, liked to sharpen his pencils during the entire perod.

Several yells and shrieks and laughter from outside announced the arrival of the student body. It was like the day was starting. Students began piling inside, and the school came alive, filled with bustling and talking and chatting and the screeching of sneakers on the hallways.

A few students arrived, some waving to Hinata before taking their seats.

The class slowly came together, except for Sakura, a friendly, smart, and popular pink-haired girl. She was always late though- she had violin lessons every morning, and Iruka excused her lateness because the teacher lived all the way across town and they always ran into traffic on the way over.

Sakura sometimes spoke to Hinata- just little things, but at least she wasn't like everybody else, who just refused to acknowledge her. The two girls would share a laugh over some clumsy act or say hello in the hallways... Sakura, despite her popularity, was a kind girl. Her mother, who had been picked on as a child, taught her daughter only to act, speak and think postively.

But today, just as Iruka was starting the lesson, the door squeaked open, and while the class was expecting Sakura, a tall, lean boy with spiky blonde hair and bored blue eyes stepped inside, dressed in baggy jeans (striped boxers exposed), a band tee, a choker, and a backpack slung over his shoulder.

This boy had edge- although his thick hair was obviously a healthy blonde glow, it seemed he was growing out a mohawk, hadn't washed his hair in a couple days, and his eyes had smudges of -could it be?- eyeliner.

"Ah! Mr. Uzumaki, I was beginning to get worried you weren't coming." said Iruka pleasantly, grinning widely.

The boy, a very handsome one at that, cracked a smile, something it seemed he didn't do often, or at least hadn't in a while.

"So, um, take a seat, and I know you don't really know what's going on, but don't worry about it yet. We don't have textbooks, and, to be honest, this class is just to warm up your brain. I see no use in shoving you poor kids into advanced algebra at six in the morning." smiled Iruka, gesturing to the few empty seats left in the classroom- there were two in the front row, one in front of Iruka's desk and the other left side of the classrom, and one beside Hinata.

With his tired eyes, Naruto gestured to the seat beside Hinata. "I can sit in the second row, right? I'm not a front seat guy."

Iruka nodded. "Sure, go ahead."

The blonde boy trudged toward his seat, dropping his backpack on the floor and rested his elbows on his desk. Iruka began the lesson again, summarizing an article he had read during his breakfast.

Hinata turned her attention to her teacher, but the new kid gently nudged her shoulder with a strong finger.

"Hey." he whispered, "I'm Naruto."

Hinata, a bit nervous about talking in class, whispered back, "I-I'm Hinata."

The words came out rushed, but definately clearer than when she was younger, thanks to her speaking coach.

"Cute. Listen, what am I supposed to do here?" he asked, looking confused.

Hinata spoke back, very, very softly. "Y-You just list- listen a-and then you, um, you say w-what you... t-think about, um, it."

He nodded uncertainly. "Oh... tay. Thanks."

Beyond that, Naruto didn't speak for the entire class. The day remained uneventful- he was in a few of her other classes, and some of the teachers forced him to introduce himself and speak about his life.

So she learned a few things about him: he moved here to live with his distant grandma and aunt, grew up on the east side, music is his passion, and he enjoys hanging out with his friends and loves dogs.

- -

The next day, Hinata took her usual seat at the end of the football team's bench, and began eating, reading a book as she did so.

Her cousin, Neji, was one of the better football players, and because of that reason was she allowed to sit with them. When he graduated, Hinata had no idea where she was going to sit.

Rarely did the cousins speak, but the Hyuuga family taught all their male members chivalry- therefore, nomatter what the circumstances are, the boys must look after the girls, and offer their help when appropriate.

Neji was, unofficially, Hinata's bodyguard. The tall, muscular Hyuuga was indeed protective of his cousin; sometimes, Hinata thought he was the only reason she didn't get picked on.

"Helloooo."

Hinata's head jerked around, to see someone she never expected to see.

"You do remember my name, right?" grinned Naruto, taking a seat across from Hinata and stabbing a straw into his juice box.

Hinata's mouth opened and she began stuttering.

"Aa-ah, no worries. We'll just, like, review." he offered her a hand.

"My name's Naruto." he said casually.

"I-I'm a, ah, Hinata." said Hinata, gently reaching up and lightly shaking his hand.

"Sweet." he grinned, nodding his head as if agreeing with himself.

"I'm from the east side. Don't think I fit in with your, uh, rich girl preppies." he said, while quickly shoveling down a meal. Hinata was amazed his poor plastic spork survived.

"Oh, I-I don't fit in, um, very well either." shrugged Hinata, taking a bite of salad.

"I hope you don't think I'm stalking you or anything- you just looked so bored here next to the jocks by yourself."

Neji's ears perked. He glanced down at Hinata, who, to his shock, was talking to a boy who was laughing as he told a story with exaggerated hand gestures. Hinata, too, was laughing.

The friendship continued- over the weeks, the two teens ate lunch together, practically unnoticed by the majority of the high school.

Well, Neji noticed, but said nothing.

Then, one day, in first period, Naruto passed Hinata a note.

Expecting it to be some new joke he thought up, she opened it with a bitten-lip smile.

'Hullo Dear,' the note began,

'I have an uber-fun idea. A few of old friends and myself are gonna go to a concert hosted by a bunch of local bands. It's free, and it's on Wednesday night. It's gonna be friggin loads of fun. Wanna come?'

Hinata blinked. A sudden flash of panic washed over her. Her internal boy-crazy meter, for the first time in years, turned itself on. That sounded dangerously like a date.

But it wasn't like she was against such an option. A few days ago, her father told her he would be on a business trip the entire week, and as usual, she and Hanabi would, essentially, be left to their own devices.

The two sisters never took advantage of such an option as 'going crazy", of course, but Hinata figured her dad would let her go to a concert anyway.

She nodded, grinning a little bit in excited anticipation. "Yeah, I'll come." she whispered.

He grinned back. "Sweet. We'll come by and pick you up at six-ish, then."

His hand, nails marked with chipped black polish, clung to the edge of the desk as he leaned forward and rested his head, listening once more to Iruka's pleasant speaking.

Hinata, only now taking notice of what she had agreed to, felt her eyes loose focus and a cold sweat develop, her heart beating faster as a touch of her calm was lost.

What... have I gotten myself into? her mind screamed to her.

- -

Hinata sat on her bed, nervously surveying her appearance in the mirror-covered wall in front of her. She smoothed out her sunflower-patterned skirt, gently touched her blow-dryed hair (she had washed it three times in her shower this morning), and picked at a bit of skin on her lips.

It was 20 minutes until Naruto and his friends were supposed to show up, and already she was really, really nervous. She had been to Hanabi's Konoha Symphony Orchestra concerts, but a rock concert?

What... what if they didn't like her? Hinata had seen goths and punks and rockers and what-have-you before and they didn't seem especially friendly to her.

What if she embarrassed Naruto or one of his friends didn't like her?

Hinata suddenly realized she had picked at the dead skin of her bottom lip until it bled. Whoops.

"Jeez, Naruto, who is this girl?" laughed Temari as their group walked along the sidewalk towards the spacious Hyuuga mansion.

"She's um, she's the oldest daughter of the owner of the Hyuuga Corp." he grinned, scratching the back of his head.

"That family probably burns money in their fireplace." scoffed Ino, tossing her long ponytail over her shoulder.

The tall, spiked iron gates were now within touching distance, the cold metal supported by rock and cement pillars placed stylishly every 20 feet.  
"I feel like if we get in, we'll never get out." murmured Lee.

- -

"Hinata! There are some people here to see you." called Hanabi as she walked briskly down the hall towards her room, passing her sister's on the way.

The moment she heard this, Hinata's eyes grew wide. OH MY GOODNESS.

Before she was ready, Naruto, Temari, Lee, Ino, and Choji had arrived, hanging on the edges of the doorway and looking in on her room.

"What a doll!" smiled Ino, the first to waltz into Hinata's room. The bleach blonde in plaid looked down at the short, shy little high schooler, appearing malicious for the first few seconds before grinning. "She's adorable, Naruto!"

Hinata nearly fainted from relief.

"But uh, doll or not, we're not going to the K.M.F. with you in a Little Miss Prep costume." said Temari smartly, pulling at the cardigan sweater Hinata had buttoned up over her camisole.

Ino and Temari promptly pushed Naruto, Choji, and Lee out of Hinata's room, closing the door and locking it behind them.

Forty-five minutes of bra-stuffing, makeup experimenting, jewelry-swapping, and hair gelling later, the three girls emerged.

Hinata had truly taken a edgier turn- Ino and Temari had turned her into a lovely young concert-goer.

Her pale eyes were surrounded by a sharp layer of eyeliner and thick mascara, but her lovely face was clean besides that.

The girls had dug through the Hyuuga's clothing and discovered a pair of fitting black cargo pants from her youth, a threadbare navy shirt of Temari's advertising a band Hinata never heard of ("...I can't believe you've never heard of them. They're only the best indie band ever."), a pair of boots, and an old pair of knee-high, striped socks with holes cut for her fingers over her arms.

"They're called arm warmers, Hinata. I wear them all the time." Ino comforted her, wrapping an arm over her shoulder as she sensed the teen's nervousness.

Hinata knew she was beet red right now.

"Alright. Let's roll." said Naruto.

- -

The weather didn't seem to agree with their plans- gray clouds brewed unhappily above, and cool, restless winds brushed by at all times.

Hinata gazed dismally about her, hugging the jacket Lee let her borrow ("I'll be fine without it! I can just do a few hundred laps to keep myself warm!") and bit her lip nervously.

Still, there was a feeling of security, she noted, as she walked briskly in their small group of strangely-dressed teenagers. People stared, grandparents watched disapprovingly, and a few other teens scoffed at them.

But they didn't care, and didn't even notice. They laughed as Lee told a joke, and munched on the potato chips and sweets Choji offered as they approached the concert hall, where a smallline of people in similar fashions were already lined up, huddling on the ground beneath the overhanging roof.

So they took seats at the end of the line, plopping down on the ground and snuggling up close to each other, still talking, laughing, and munching.

Hinata diverted her attention from dictating everything to her mind to the joke Naruto was telling.

"...so then the vet, he takes this glass tube and what he does, he sticks it up the cow's butt. And then, this guy, he blows hard on it, the cow moos, and the vet goes 'There you go, buddy, your cow's fine now, that'll be $500' and is on his merry way."

"Oh please!" laughed Temari, and was joined by Lee.

"Awright, awright, so two months later, the cow stops milking again. Now the farmer, he don't want to pay that vet that half a grand, so he gets the farmhand to get him a glass tube, and does just what the vet does- sticks it in the cow's butt and blows, but nothin' happens. So he tells the farmhand, y'know, you blow on it, maybe it'll work if you try."

"That's gross!" scoffed Ino, slapping Naruto's shoulder in a scolding manner.

He grinned, then continued, with even more elaborate hand gestures.

"So the farmhand takes the glass tube, turns it around, and sticks the tube in the other way. The farmer looks at him funny and asks, 'What'd you do that for?' The farmhand looks at him like he's stupid and says, 'I wasn't about to put my mouth on the same end as you- that's just nasty!'"

The group broke out in laughter, several of them shoving Naruto as they did so.

Hinata grinned- the joke wasn't that funny, but everyone was good-humored right now. She suddenly caught the faint sounds of dripping, and her hair pushed against her blushed cheeks, her ears feeling the chill of cold air.

"It's raining." she said suddenly, oblivious to the chattering of Naruto and his friends. They, however, heard her, and all eyes turned to watch a wavy drizzle of water change into a heavy pouring rain. They all suddenly felt a feeling of thankfulness that they were shielded by the overhanging roof of the theater.

Choji unzipped his backpack, and pulled out a quilt, just thin enough to not be bulky and thick enough to be warm.

"Huddle up, guys. We'll be here a few hours." he said, tossing the end of the quilt to Temari.

All seven of them squished together, shoulder to shoulder, hip to hip, and most feet in the center of the circle.

"I feel like we're at a sleepover." commented Ino, snuggling up closer to Lee.

"No toenail-painting." smiled Choji, passing the chips to Naruto.

"Y'know, I've never been to a sleepover." he said, taking a handful and passing the bag to Hinata, who handed it to Temari.

"Me neither." murmured Hinata.

"That's pathetic." smiled Temari, her deep, purling voice implying she used such a word often.

"Oh, be nice, you sand witch." laughed Naruto, wrapping an arm around Hinata, who quickly turned red.

"Listen, I've heard PMS sucks, but seriously, you've got no excuse, isn't that right, Hinata?" he grinned, sticking his tongue out rocker-style at his multiple pigtailed friend, who sent a glare normally reserved for guys who cheat on the subway and murderers of children and the elderly.

"You're the one who sucks, foxhead. Go screw yourself." she scoffed, flashing him the middle finger. The blonde bombshell would've reached over and punched him, but she was too comfortable beside Ino. And that blanket and their combined body heats made things amazingly cozy.

The conversation hit a standstill- the warmth and the quiet rain had a calming, soothing effect, and sort of gave off a drowsy vibe.

"Hey, I've got an idea. We all know each other, but we don't know Naruto's friend at all. Let's grill her!" said Ino, grinning enthusiastically.

Hinata's mouth opened and she stuttered nervously, offering up a shaky suggestion.

"W-Well, I don't, um, I don't know any of y-you either, so, um, how about for e-every question you ask me, um, I get to a-ask you one back?" she said, shrugging and pulling the blanket up tighter around her.

"... that would help pass the time." said Lee, nodding. More people had come and the line had nearly tripled behind them in only an hour and a half.

"I call dibs on her first. You a virgin?" grinned Temari, the end of a Twizzler hanging from her mouth.

"Whoa!" laughed a few of them, surprised she had hopped on the bandwagon so fast.

"Jeez, that's personal... I think you at least gotta know her last name before you ask something like that!" cackled Ino.

The camp-out continued. Hinata learned a bucketful of things; Lee was an orphan from east side Konoha who lived with his uncle Gai, Ino and Choji were parttime cooks in a public school, Temari was a recovering drug addict (clean for six months, a new record), and Naruto had once jumped off a building and broken both his legs.

They learned that Hinata had never had a boyfriend, her favorite color was orange, she loved cats, she owned one thong nobody knew about, and she once shaved off both her eyebrows. They never learned to answer to Temari's original, virginal question.

Just as Lee was telling them about his most embarrassing moment ("...so I gotta use the bathroom on the bus, and just as I'm, you know, 'finishing up', we turn the corner, and BOOM I'm on the floor..."), the teens in front of them let out loud cheers as the line started to move.

Hinata felt a surge of excitement and nervousness. This was... this was happening! A real rock concert was happening, and she was there!

Their group hopped to their feet and became a part of mob. As they became nearer to the door, several people tried cut in, but were knocked out of the way by Choji's bulk and Temari threatening yells.

"What the hell's the matter with you?" she demanded, making threatening arm gestures as they hurried inside.

The yells of teenagers became deafening and the group of six were separated- torn apart and lost in the confusion of frisking, running, and jumping.

"Oi, Hinata!" a hand waved above the crowd, and it was Choji, waving at her.

She quickly ran over, relieved she hadn't been abandoned.

"Hurry! We want to get good spots in the mosh!" he grinned, pulling her through the crowd towards the arena.

"The mosh...?" asked the Hyuuga cluelessly, as the large concert arena came into sight. She gasped as she looked down at the stage and the wide space in front of it, where mobs of people were gathering. Sure, there were chairs lined up against the wall, and then seats like at the movie theaters on the second level of the auditorium, but no one wanted any of these.

"Choji! Hinata!" yelled Naruto and Lee together, waving wildly to them. "Down here!"

"Wh- C-Choji, what is a mob pit?" she asked timidly, holding tightly to his arm as they rushed down the steps. They must have looked a funny sight- a small, petite goth girl clinging to such a tall, large teen.

"Mosh," he clarified, "not mob. A mosh pit is a big pit of people at a concert who jump up and down and just... party." he shrugged, knowing he shouldn't mention anything that was sure to scare her.

The lights suddenly went out- Hinata clung tighter to Choji, and luckily, he was able to reach the rest of their group, even in the dark.

On stage, there was a sudden flash of the lights, giving the crowd a glimpse of the first band to perform. Four lean figures stood on the stage, one front and center, and two behind him in a triangle shape, and the fourth, the drummer, directly behind the center figure. All three standing figures held guitars.

The lights flashed again and held, revealing the band. The crowd began screaming, yelling, stomping the floor loudly, and shouting. The song was a fast, upbeat rock song, and the singer, the boy front and center, had a deep voice for a teenager, and Hinata found herself listening, though she hadn't expected to. It was a deep, calm, exciting voice, and everyone else in the crowd liked it, too, it seemed.

The lead singer was a tall, fairly built boy about their age, with dark red, slightly curly, unruly hair that extended past his ears and clung to his neck.

He had very lovely green eyes, Hinata could see from here, and had surrounded them in a heavy, neat layer of eyeliner. Dressed like the others there, he was clad in baggy black pants (pair of beloved bondage pants) and a snug black shirt advertising the kanji for love in bloody red print.

One of the guitarists was a tall, lean teenager who slouched severely, shoulders hunched over like he was just too tired to stand up straight. He had his thick black hair tied up into a ponytail, and watched the crowd from behind relaxed eyelids and firmly pressed eyebrows.

The third guitarist was beautiful. He, too, was tall, but shorter than the other guitarist, with a mess of gelled black hair and gothic pale skin. He dressed completely in black, with a piercing along his lip and eyebrow, but grinned more than any of the others.

The drummer had an intensity: Hinata usually didn't notice drummers, but this one stood out. He had the fierceness of an animal as he pounded the drums and smashed out notes and rhythms, and even yelled out some of the words to one of the songs, without a mike. His hair was a wild mess, completely ungelled, that poked up into the air like Naruto's did. Like the lead singer, he used makeup- Hinata could see two wide stripes of red paint plastered across his cheeks.

Temari's body twisted and writhed, her arms held over her head and her hips swiveling attractively to the beat. The band, in their fishnets and bondage pants and zippered shirts and chokers, sang their message to the crowd, beating on the drums and pounding notes on guitars and jumping in the air and smashing the stage when they landed.

Hinata grabbed hold of Naruto, who was raising his hand above the crowd and holding up the 'rock out' symbol.

"What's he singing about?" she asked, glancing at the handsome, red-haired lead singer.

"Um, the song's about a guy and a girl and when they're dancing together, he loves her and lusts for her and wants her, but then the music stops and he hates her because she's an ugly person, but just as he's about to walk away, another song starts and he sees her and he wants her again." Naruto yelled back, running a hand through his thick, spiky blonde hair.

She nodded slowly, looking back up to the band, who seemed to be selling sex to the crowd. The teenagers LOVED them.

"You like 'em?" grinned Naruto, still nodding his head to the beat of the loud rock band.

Hinata had to admit- she did. She liked the image, of a bunch of brats admitting their lack of fitting in, exposing it, and forcing the world to accept a group of imperfectioned teenagers. She liked the music, the booms and the smashing and the yelling and the genuine outburst of anger at the world they didn't care about.

"Yeah." she said back to Naruto, after thinking for a moment.

"Temari's brother, the redhead. They call themselves 'The Freeks.' Friggin' stupid name, but nobody told Gaara that. He picked it out." mentioned Naruto, pointing out the rocker Hinata was gazing at a moment ago.

Temari? Temari was related to that male model from the streets? Wow. But, wait in fact...

They were in an ideal section for the mosh pit- near the front, off the side a bit. Hinata could see every detail of the rockers' faces and the music blasting from the speakers was pounding in her head.

Shikamaru held his hand out to a girl on the floor, as the other members of The Freeks knew better than to give him vital parts to play in their songs and he had nothing else to do at this moment, but the anonomous petite brunette was knocked out of the way by Temari, who grasped Shikamaru's hand and nearly knocked him over as she pulled herself onstage and continued her dancing, this time faster and harder, as the song sped up and became unbearably fast.

Next thing Hinata knew, she turned around and Naruto was gone. Desperately, she looked around in the sea of faces, and didn't see him, nor anyone else she knew.

A hand brushed her shoulder, fingernails scraping her skin, and she turned around, seeing Choji look down at her from the stage, where the rest of her friends had gathered. He offered her his hand, and easily pulled her up with them.

Here she was, face to face with the band she had previously thought was cool (but frightening).

All of them were dancing, before this small crowd of cheering teens, who were all here for one reason only, united by their music.

So, fueled by a sudden burst of adrenaline and excitement, she began dancing.

Before she was ready, The Freeks had finished their third and final song and took a bow. The redhead whispered a final, deep and husky, "Thank you," to the crowd and they all walked backstage, still hearing the energetic screams from their friends in the crowd.

Hinata gasped for breath, her face beaded with sweat and her clothes clinging tightly to her body. She was hot and clammy and excited and tired, all at once. She glanced to Naruto, remembering what she saw on everyone else in the pit and to the band- all were equally exhausted and sweaty.

It was an experience like no other; jumping, bouncing, dancing, and two thousand bodies passionately pushing and shoving and body slamming each other in a celebration of music.

Temari opened up Choji's backpack, and tossed Hinata a water bottle, as she and Naruto shared a beer. Ino heaved for air- Choji glistened with sweat.

This... this was what she had been missing.

This is what life is.

It was a fantastic feeling- something inside her was burning with life, while her body was limp and tired.

"Hey, bra." curled another deep voice, and Hinata turned to see the gothically pale guitarist grinning slightly at Naruto. He held out his hand, a wide, calloused thing with fingers wrapped in first aide tape like rings, and the two teenage boys slapped palms, shaking each other's hands firmly.

"Haven't seen you, man!" said Naruto, slapping his friend on the shoulder.

Hinata's head tilted slightly- how cute.

She heard more chattering, and looked to see Temari hugging her baby brother, a hand tousling his sweaty red hair.

"Pretty damn cool, m'dear. You looked hot up there." she complimented, taking a step back to let her brother breathe.

The redhead, if he had eyebrows, would've raised them. "That was cool, Gaara." grinned Lee, slapping palms with him just like Sasuke and Naruto had done to each other.

"Man, that was friggin' awesome!" yelled the drummer, jumping and punching the air in salute of his ego.

"Did you see me? I was like, bam! Way better than all you suckers." he said, eyebrows arched to suggest his soon arrival into fame.

"Shut up, Kiba. I saw you drop a stick." cackled Ino, flicking his forehead with a long, black fingernail.

The two blonde women broke out in braying laughter, leaving Kiba to steam. He yelled something back at them, causing both blondes to laugh harder and nearly collapse on the floor in fits of cackling.

With a quick huff, he left them, with the intent of coming over to casually hang with Sasuke and Naruto, who had gotten over being reunited best friends and were now in an arm-wrestling match, sometimes spouting profanities at one another (though it was a "friendly" rivalry).

...when he saw Hinata.

"Hey there." smiled Kiba smoothly, thumbs hanging from his belt loops as he took a step towards Hinata, who he had just spotted.

Hinata blinked at him, opening her mouth to speak when Shikamaru suddenly did the honors.

"God, Kiba! Leave her alone, jeez. I hate it when you prey on women." groaned the lazy boy, who was currently resting in a chair, his feet propped up on a cooler emblazoned with the band's name.

Kiba stuck out his tongue rocker-style at Shikamaru. Hinata giggled at how similar Kiba and Naruto looked when they did that.

"T-That was very, um, c-chivalrous of you." said Hinata, nodding her head slightly.

He squinted, then grinned. "Uh, thanks. Who are you, though?"

"I'm... I'm Naruto's friend, Hinata." she stepped closer, and shook hands with Shikamaru, but the Hyuuga was quickly pushed out of the way by Temari, who had recovered from her laugh attack and was now ready to bicker.

"Aa-ah, Shikamaru, you lazy worthless ass, move your fat feet so I can get a drink." she lectured, shoving his sneakered feet off the cooler and squatting down to pick through the ice for her favorite soda.

Shikamaru glanced to Hinata, grabbing her attention, and gestured to Temari, who had her back to him.

"Hey Temari, crack kills." he laughed, sticking a finger down the back of her lowhanging pants.

Hinata doubled over in laughter, but Temari didn't see the humor. She stood up, swiftly turned around, and slapped Shikamaru HARD, storming off and yelling profanites and threats.

He grinned, a hand on his cheek, the bright red imprint of Temari's hand plastered across it.

"I don't do that to anybody but her." he said, and Hinata noticed an adorable mischevious look on his face.

"So much for chivalry." smiled Choji merrily, scooping up a handful of ice into a bag and handing it to Shikamaru for his cheek.

"He really is a nice guy- opens doors for everybody and everything, but he likes to mess with Temari." said Choji, looking at Shikamaru with a scolding smile.

This general 'hanging out' continued- it seemed only minutes later that the concert finished and the crowd left the stadium, trudging outside to see scalpers selling "official band tees, posters, and CDs", and Naruto and his friends headed to a nearly park to relax before heading home.

- -

They laid on the cool, damp grass, watching the night sky. Hinata swore she could feel herself sinking and being enveloped by the black canopy, but it was a comforting feeling.

She wiggled in a bit closer to Naruto, resting her head on his shoulder. Lee, in turn, scooted a bit closer. It was strange- a day before, the shy Hinata wouldn't have dared to be with someone so intimately... it was a vulnerability she was becoming so fond of.

Everyone is comfortable with each other. Everyone is snuggled together, everyone is relying on everybody else, and everyone is enjoying it.

The blonde beside her continued watching the sky, and put an arm around her, gently pulling her a little bit closer for added warmth.

"...Naruto." she whispered.

He immediately looked down, blue eyes tired but happy and his light makeup now smudged. Somehow, he looked beautiful sweaty.

"Yeah?"

"Thank you... for bringing me. I... I wasn't sure I wanted to, but I am so glad I came. This has been the best night of my life." she whispered, never stumbling on her words for the first time in years.

He continued watching her for a moment longer, before grinning tiredly.

"I'm glad you came, too."

After a moment, he added, "You know, I remember when I first walked in that classroom. If we were anywere else, I wouldn't have given a crap about some shy prep. But if I hadn't have sat next to you, I wouldn't have gotten to be your friend. I wouldn't even know what I was missing."

He grinned wider. "Isn't that sad? Can you imagine us not being friends?"

Hinata smiled back at him, feeling genuinely happy and satisfied. It felt like the first real smile she had had in a long time. "No."

There were a few more moments of silence, as the six friends soaked in the sweet silence, relishing in each other's comforts, when Lee glanced casually to his digital watch.

"Hey. It's four. We had better get home." he announced casually, yawning a bit. He hadn't realized he was tired until he saw the time.

Hinata would normally have been in shock, but was too exhausted.

Naruto glanced down, nudging Hinata lightly. "Hear that? We have to get up."

Hinata, half-asleep, yawned and continued laying on the ground as Naruto stood up, stretching his arms and talking with his friends.

"Let's go." he said, offering her a hand to help her up.

So Hinata put her small hand in his broad one, and he effortlessly pulled her up, grinning. "We are going to be so tired in school tomorrow."

"I don't care." yawned Hinata, trudging along with the group.

She let out a sudden shriek- Lee had run over and grabbed her waist, lifting her feet from the ground and swinging the two of them around in a circle.

Hinata began giggling, turning around to face him. "Lee!" she exclaimed, still laughing.

The black-haired boy grinned, scratching the back of his head. "You awake now?"

Her friends walked her all the way back to her home, and even boosted her over the tall spiked fence, whispering their goodbyes.

Sneaking in through her bedroom window, Hinata plopped onto her bed with a sigh of relief, but to her shock, found it already inhabited.

She nearly shrieked, but Hanabi's clamped hands muffled her voice.

"Shh! So, where the heck did you go?" grinned her baby sister, her long legs tucked underneath her in a pretzel shape.

Hinata gasped, before narrowing her eyes and harshly whispering, "You scared me! I... went to a concert."

Hanabi's eyes widened. "You didn't go the Konoha Music Festival, did you? You know, the punk rock concert full of Konoha bands?"

Hinata blinked. "I... I-I, um, think I did."

Hanabi looked disappointed. "Aw. I always wanted to go to that. You must've gone with those teens who were here earlier... who were they?"

"Um, just a schoolfriend and his friends." shrugged Hinata, hopping off the bed and beginning to pick out some sleep clothes to change into and starting to undress.

"HIS? Was it a date, Hina?" teased Hanabi, raising an eyebrow suggestively.

"NO. He's just a friend." said Hinata, pulling on an oversized shirt, plastered with the Hyuuga corp.'s logo.

"I... I know this is cliched, but I feel changed." added Hinata quietly, as though she almost didn't want Hanabi to hear.

Her baby sister smiled.

"Yeah? Y'know, I like you like this, the edge you've got. It looks hot on you." nodded Hanabi, scratching her arm.

Hinata stopped changing. "R-Really? I do, too."

"You should stay this way. And you know, you shouldn't keep hiding that awesome chest behind goody-two shoes shirts and jackets." grinned her sister, raising an eyebrow suggestively.

Hinata giggled and blushed. It was true, she admitted, she did have a large chest. Without having a mother to tell her the "up" points of such a thing, and feeling embarrassed to have such a noticable endowment, Hinata had always tried to hide it (not like you can hide something like that anyway, though) behind large shirts, jackets, and virginic clothing.

"Do you... t-think Dad would get, um, mad?" she asked, plopping down on her bed beside Hanabi.

The other Hyuuga shrugged. "Maybe. But you gotta stand up for yourself. Good night, neechan." she said, kissing her sister on the cheek and quietly slipping out of the room.

"Good night, imotou." said Hinata, pulling the covers up around herself and thinking about Hanabi's words as she dropped off into sleep.

- -

The next morning, Hinata must've turned her alarm to 'doze' twenty times. By the time she actually looked at the time, it was 7:45. Exactly a half an hour until school started.

With a frightened shriek, she leapt out of bed, dashing into the bathroom to shower. She didn't even catch a glimpse of herself, or her blurred, smeared eye makeup.

Hurriedly shaving, shampooing, lathering, and scrubbing, she ran out of the shower in a towel, dripping wet and hurried into her bedroom, digging through her dressers, stark naked (as her towel had slipped off after she slammed her door closed).

In lack of well-pressed clothes (damn you, laundry day!), she scrounged up the sneakers and pants from the night before (despite their light B.O. scent, which she fixed with several sprays of perfume), and a shirt Naruto bought for her yesterday at the concert.

She did take a moment to admire the cool shirt: plastered with imitation spray-paint graffitti, reading 'KMF' in black letters against a lime green background, the date, and a description ("...a rad expression of individualtiy through the universal language, music, supported by and for the youths of Konoha..."), and down the back were all the names of the bands who performed. The Freeks had all signed their names beside their mention.

Grabbing her suitcase-on-wheels and ripping an apple from the bowl on the center of their scarcely used dining room table, she rushed out the door, hurriedly tying back her wet, tangled hair with a clip, twisting it into the shape of a loose bun.

"Crap-shit-crap!" she cried, running down the street as she saw that she was now trailing the main mob of people that entered the school seconds before the bell rang.

Apologizing as she rudely pushed through the halls, she rushed into Iruka's classroom, seeing the surprised looks on everyone's faces when she entered. It seemed Iruka was just now starting to stand up to begin the lesson.

She looked at him worriedly, afraid of receiving the first tardy slip of her life, but was more relieved than ever before when he discreetly tilted his head slightly to the direction of her desk.

She hurried to her seat, plopping down and inhaling deeply, practically gasping for breath.

Naruto grinned at her, scratching the back of his head. "Did you forget to wash off the makeup from last night?" he said, quirkily examining her smeared eyeshadow and muddied mascara.

Hinata stared at him blankly for a moment, before reaching up to touch her eyelids, lips parting as she opened her mouth to curse her forgetfulness.

"Nah, it looks sexy, Hinata. I like it." said Naruto, reaching up to pull her fingers from her face.

She glanced to him. Naruto winked at her, then turned his head to Iruka, resting his head on his crossed arms.

Hinata blushed. Yeah, she was glad she went to the concert- not a single regret could come to mind, and she doubted one ever would.

- -

Mimi: It's finally over! You like? I had this little idea of kind of an extra little chapter that included Hinata cutting her hair to the current style she has now and confronting her father for his criticisms and a 'five years later' thing where she and the gang see each other after a while and have lunch and stuff. Whaddya think?

Mimi: And um, Gaara wants you to review. -grabs Stuffed Gaara and thrusts him at you-

crazed fangirls attack Stuffed Gaara and rip his head off-

"I've got his head!" -excited girlish shrieks-

Mimi: O.O Holy crap. Uh... for every review you submit, a dollar goes to sewing Stuffed Ga- I mean, Just Gaara's head back on!

♥


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